Boot and shoe



. Feb. 21, 193%. s aux-row v BOOT AND SHOE Filed Jan. 25, 1937 'dwkxf 0% Patented Feb. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE BOOT AND SHOE Alice Gwendolen Salisbury Buxton, New York, N. Y.

2 Claims.

This invention relates to boots and shoes and has for its object to provide a method of manufacturing which will result in the production of a boot or shoe adapted to give to the foot of the wearer the proper balance and support, particularly for the instep, metatarsal arch, and outer border tread of the foot.

Although it has been suggested, that for this purpose, a lay or wedge of leather be inserted beneath the insole, and between this and the outer sole of the shoe, along, and round the outer edge of the tread, the general tendency in manufacturing up to date has been to use this type of wedge, in straight shape instead of curved, and under the big toe joint or ball, this raising the inner side of the tread.

Exhaustive tests on numbers of feet, have proved, that with certain exceptions, better results are obtained by raising this outer border tread, with a wedge shape round the toe of the shoe; this leaves the area under the toe joint or ball sunk, as it were, thus bringing the great toe (which with its construction of extra bones under the joint is higher in treading than the rest of the tread area of the foot), to the same level and balance as the other toe joints, by raising the outer border. The wedge should be highest or thickest at the outer edge, and tapered in to paper thickness around the area where it ceases, and the hollow is left for the big toe joint. 9

According to this invention, I provide a lay for the insole of a shoe which consists of a piece of leather or like material of such a shape that when in position there is a gradual rising elevation within the shoe from the normal plane of the shoe towards the outer peripheral outer edge of the shoe. This lay extends approximately from the middle of the outside edge of the boot around the toe to about the position of the ball of the big toe and the tapering progrosses from the outside edge of the boot. Bordering the raised rim of the lay a flange or lip is provided which when the insole is in situ makes the junction with the welting of the boot or shoe. The lay may extend as far as desired towards the heel end of the insole and will, of course, be flat in those places where no elevation is required.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated the invention diagrammatically, Figure 1 being a plan view showing my special lay, Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure l and Figure 3 illustrates the position of the lay in relation to the sole of the shoe to which it is 5 fitted.

Referring to the drawing the numeral l designates the lay which is wedge shaped in section as shown in Figure 2 the outer peripheral edge of the lay being thickened as at 2 and provided 10 with a flange or lip 3 for making junction with the welt to which the upper and outer sole of the shoe are attached in the usual way.

The lay as shown in Figure 2 merges from the thickened outer edge 2 to a feather inner edge 4. 15

It will be found that with a lay of the foregoing character the big toe joint of the wearer will be sunk somewhat, which experiment has shown gives better balance and a more beneficial pressure distribution. 20

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A boot or shoe comprising an upper and a sole attached thereto and having a lay within said boot or shoe, said lay comprising a crescent shaped element shaped to conform to the front and outer periphery of the shoe at its outer edge and to border the inner contour of the ball of the joint of the big toe at its inner edge said lay tapering in cross section from a considerable thickness at its outer peripheral edge to a feather edge at its inner peripheral edge and having a flange surrounding the outer peripheral edge, said flange being attached to the welt of the shoe to which the upper and outer sole of the boot or shoe are also attached.

2. A lay for the insides of boots and shoes comprising a crescent shaped element shaped to conform to the front and outer periphery of the shoe at its outer edge and to border the inner 4O contour of the ball of the joint of the big toe at its inner edge said lay tapering in cross section from a considerable thickness at its outer peripheral edge to a feather edge at its inner peripheral edge and having a flange surrounding the outer peripheral edge for attachment to the welt to which the upper and outer sole of the boot or shoe are attached.

ALICE G. S. BUXTOIT. 

